Denying It
by Crystal Frost
Summary: Severus Snape is eying a beautiful girl Natalia, the Polish Exchange student at Hogwarts. When he realizes that she secretly wants him too he refuses to show his love but they both know the bitter truth... that in the end they will need each other.


Chapter 1 – The Man In The Corner

Natalia strolled leisurely down the streets of Diagon Alley, a piece of parchment clutched in her right hand and her left rested on the black corduroy bag that was swung diagonally over her shoulder. She had sandy blonde hair and green eyes and she was incredibly excited to join Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for her entire seventh year. She loved her wizarding school back home in Poland, Szkol, but she needed the change; needed to get away after being dumped by her boyfriend of ten months, Nansen. Besides, she'd always loved the United Kingdom, ever since her muggle parents had brought her there to visit her great grandmother, who was half British, for a month when she was only seven years old. She loved the small towns and she loved the big cities and she still treasured a rose necklace that she had bought there during that vacation with her grandmother.

Denies

Natalia glanced over her list. She had already purchased her wand which was made of oak wood and consumed the essence of Dragon's whisker, she had already bought all her school books, she had already purchased a pet: a smokey, grey owl named Moondust, now all she had left to buy were her robes so she headed down the street past the ice cream shop she was eying and past Flourish and Blotts and walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Hello, dear, how may I assist you?" Madam Malkin said grinning kindly at Natalia as the door creaked open. Natalia was looking around and was slightly distracted. The shop was completely empty of people besides herself, Malkin, and a tall, dark haired man lingering in a corner by the boots.

"Yes, sorry, um… I'd like to purchase some school robes for Hogwarts, please."

"Okay, well if you'll follow me this way we'll get you all fitted, my dear." Madam Malkin lead Natalia to a spacious fitting area in the back of the shop but she never took her eyes off the man who was now heading for the door. His sleek black hair and manly stature held Natalia's gaze until he swiftly left the shop leaving Natalia utterly disappointed. "Now step up here, please," Madam Malkin said gesturing towards a wide stool. The rest of Natalia's time there went quickly until Natalia finished purchasing her robes. She glanced at her watch to see that it was a quarter past three and had until four o'clock before her mother would pick her up so she decided to head over to the Leaky Cauldron to get some writing in before she went home for the night before she left for school on the Hogwarts Express the following morning.

Natalia reached the Leaky Cauldron in a matter of seconds and settled herself down at a little table next to the window on the left side of the room just two tables down from the door and pulled out her notebook and a quill. She was just about to continue writing her story when she heard a familiar voice. It was the man from Madam Malkins! She had a better look at him now. He was across the room to the right of the door sitting at a small table and he was ordering a drink.

"A cup of coffee please," she heard him mutter. He had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard; mysterious, deep, and seductive. He looked up from his writing at her, probably from being able to feel her stare, and Natalia quickly looked down although she knew as she turned red that he had probably seen her staring at him. Trying to brush this aside and continue as though it had never happened, she went on writing but every once in a while she could feel his gaze upon her again. It was intoxicating.

Snape's POV:

_Who was this girl? _Snape wondered to himself as he discreetly gazed at her over his cup of coffee. _I've never seen her around here before. She couldn't possibly be a student… she's much too mature, sitting there writing. It's not like any child attending Hogwarts would take the time out of their summer to sit in the Leaky Cauldron and write. _

He had seen her glancing it at him. It was probably nothing though, she was probably lost in thought and it just happened to be in his direction.

She was the most beautiful girl Severus Snape had ever seen. It may have been simply because of her looks. Although she wasn't perfect, he loved her small nose and her sea green eyes that shone so much that they could be seen clearly from his end of the room; and he couldn't deny that she had the most perfect long legs. It also may have been because of her poise. The way she crossed her left leg over the other and kept her back perfectly straight as she leaned over to write. Someone walked in the door at that moment and lingered in the doorway, blocking his view of the woman. Damnit! Severus thought. What am I doing? She's far to young for me, and none the less she would never fall for an old man like me… Severus shook it off and went back to his own writing, a response letter to Albus Dumbledore regarding some new Polish exchange student who will be at Hogwarts the entire year.

When he was finished with his letter and after he tucked it away in his leather case to owl Dumbledore later, he glanced at his watch. 3:55. Time to go.

Natalia's POV

Natalia set down her quill and glanced at her wristwatch. 3:55 uh oh, her Mother would be waiting for her she gathered her things and headed for the door and she didn't realize until they bumped shoulders that the dark-haired man was exiting the Leaky Cauldron as well. Natalia held her breath.

"I beg your pardon," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at her slightly. Natalia smiled at him pretending not to be nervous.

"Don't worry about it," she said. She was just about to open the door when he reached around her to open it for her. For the most brief of seconds she caught his scent: Spice, coffee, and peppermint. But before she knew it the door was open and she was forced to walk out of it. "Thank you," she said looking at him one last time. He looked at her. "You're very welcome," he then gave her a small smile all though he did seem a little bit wound up about something, as though he was in a rush to be somewhere. She held her gaze with his only for a moment before he turned the opposite way down the street and she let herself watch him stride away, his long black coat flailing behind him. Would she ever see him again?


End file.
